Kifaru vs Stone Glacier

[Code_red]

I’ve been wanting to post this for a while now however I wanted to let the drama between Gritty and Aron Defuse a bit. I’d like to preface this discussion by asking people to please not bring in any personal feelings or frustration towards Bryan, Aaron, their relationship or feelings toward Stone Glacier for support Bryan. I would like to hear from people that have ran both packs and the facts around what they liked and disliked about them. I’ve been intrigued by Stone glacier since they came out however have been a diehard Kifaru user so never have ran their system. After watching the Rokslide pack review a couple weeks ago I have the same issue with my Kifaru feeling like it slides down my waist and I am constantly having to readjust it. It may be my body type or just that I have it set up wrong but since that fella was having the same issue and liked the stone glacier I thought it’d be a good time to ask for other people’s input.


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[Wright406]

You may get more input in the Backpack section of the forum. But I have used a SG with no issues the last 2 years. Packed out 4 animals with it. But just ordered a 44mag setup due to wanting to test their setup vs the SG. I like the organization and modularity Vs the SG. I’m not an ounce counter so the weight doesn’t matter. Most people that cry about weight but they could also lose a pound or two off their bellies lol.

 

[wind gypsy]

The review matches my experience with Kif/Stone Glacier and others. The SG X-curve keeps weight on my hips notably better than my former Gen 2 duplex (with multiple belt sizes, AL stays tried bent a variety of ways and UL stays), Seek Outside, and Exo k1 and k2 packs.

 

[Superdoo]

I am still green in the grand scheme when it comes to backpack hunting. Been doing it for three years. I started with frameless backpack. Then got an MR pop-up. Decided to get into BP hunting and camping, so I stepped up to a MR Sawtooth 45. Took that on a winter trip and it didn't have enough space for my non BP hunting gear (wool bibs don't pack down very well).
I decided to pony up for a "real" pack.

I got a Kifaru frame last year. Spent a lot of time with Frank back and forth on email trying to adjust fitment. Even ended up on the phone with Arron. Still couldn't get it dialed in. It just kept slipping on me.
I ended up sending it back. Kifaru was great to work with through the whole process!

Then I bought an SO frame. Nathan and I had a bunch of back and forth on getting it adjusted. I was much happier with the SO over the Kifaru, but the constant tweaking was a bit annoying.

I had a business trip that put me in Bozeman. I decided to do a side by side with the SO and the SG frames. I pulled up to the SG storefront and Phil took an X-curve, adjusted the velcro shoulder straps and slapped it on my back. I went several laps around the parking lot, did some jumping jacks and was really impressed!
I took the SG off and put the same weight bag from the SG and put it on my Revo frame. Then walked around and did some jumping jacks. There was no contest. The SG just holds on better.

I realized that I could probably get the Revo frame adjusted and get it to fit like the X-curve did, but then I decided that the simplicity of the SG frame was worth taking the hit of having to sell the SO frame on here.

Maybe one day I'll get a chance to try an EXO (there bag layout didn't really appeal to me).

My take away from all of this...
-All three companies make great stuff.
-All three have great customer service and stand behind what they sell.
-Pack fit is an individual experience.

I will miss the versatility of the Kifaru and SO designs that drew me to them in the first place, but comfort is comfort.

Good luck to anyone who ventures down the same path. I hope you too can find something that you're happy with and will enable you to gain more enjoyment while in the field.

 

[justin davis]

I’ve compared stone glacier to Kifaru. The difference was noticed for me when I had 60 lbs in each pack. The Kifaru was significantly more comfortable

 

[bsnedeker]

if you want to find the best pack for you as far as comfort you NEED to try them both...no way around it. As you can already see above after 4 posts some people find SG most comfortable, some SO, some Kifaru...that is going to continue as this thread grows. Everyone is different so different frames and belts are going to work better for some guys and there is only one way to figure that out.

One area Kifaru is hands-down the best in is durability, at least based on everything I've seen. If you use your gear hard Kifaru is going to hold up much better over time than any other brand. If you go on one backpack hunt a year this probably doesn't matter much. Gritty even demonstrates this in his review where he said he liked SG better...his SG bag was beat to hell after one season of hard use, the Kifaru that he had used for years was in like-new condition. Kifaru just uses more durable materials because they source everything here in the US rather than buying materials from overseas.

 

[Colby]

I don’t post much but I’m going to say this out loud. Aron is a good dude. Brian seems to be a douche bag.
Kifaru and Stone Galcier are both really good packs. Also Mystery Ranch, Seek Outside and Exo don’t suck.
let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Life_Feeds_On_Life]

Could it be a frame issue? i.e. Have straight but need curved stays?

 

[Elkfitness]

Being 5’8”, the tips of the frame of the stone glacier bump the back of my head when I turn to look at things. The 24” frame on the kifaru works great and I am able to get a good angle on the lid lifters. The belt works great as well with loads, it really needs to sit on the hip correctly and have the harness length adjust right as well. The Exo k3 frame fits great to and is a great lighter pack. The kifaru bags for me/ and the mystery ranch bags are more durable in my opinion. For me, between stone glacier and kifaru, kifaru gets the nod. You do have to make sure you have the right size belt and the right bend in the stays with either company. I found that curved/normal work best for me in terms of weight/slippage.


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[bojangles808]

Buy both and load up with 80lbs and see what fits you best. Return the one that doesn't fit as well. It's like boots you won't know til you try em. Different strokes for different folks

 

[WalterSeidenglanz]

We will start this with... I am short for my weight...
I currently own a Kifaru Hoodlum pack with a duplex lite frame. I love its durability and I love how it fits. However, two weeks ago, after strapping 80 pounds of cow elk (my son shot one in Oregon on a youth tag) Mind you pack and gear probably added 15-20 more pounds, the pack did great but did tend to slide down on my hips, thus putting a ton of weight on my shoulders during the 1.5 mile packout.

Again I am short for my weight, so I have more than ample padding around my upper hips. I cinched the belt as tight as I possibly could but it never really got perfect. The entire packout, I contemplated that these packs are designed for guys that actually have hip bones to settle the belt onto. When you are taking 50 steps and resting on every juniper stump you have plenty of time to think about going into business making waist belts that will stay on a fat guy...

My son was packing his portion with a MR Metcalf and was bitching like a banshee the entire time, so I am pretty confident that I had the better setup.

After reading the above posts, I think I should contact Frank or customer service and maybe get my pack dialed in better,I am sure they have dealt with short for their weight guys in the past.

I have not tried the SG or exo packs. I went with Kifaru because of their commitment to quality, their commitment to being made in America, and mostly because of Aron's continuous payback to the industry in the form of excellent information on Kifarucast.

 

[Code_red]

Could it be a frame issue? i.e. Have straight but need curved stays?

I’ve checked and and have the right stays that Kifaru recommends


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[Mtnboy]

I don't understand what Brian Call has to do with Stone Glacier, he's just a dude out there pimping whatever gear pays his mortgage next month. He'll be on to whatever better deal comes along as soon as it comes along.

The team at Stone Glacier, right from the top down, are all top notch folks.

 

[Brendan]

I've said this in other threads:

It's like boots. Everyone's different, you need to find what works for you.

People telling you things (including the vendor) over the phone or on the internet only goes so far.

My experience: I've gotten Kifaru to work great for me. But my experience has been that their adjustability and modularity is both a blessing and a curse. Need right length stays, right profile stays, right waist belt, right shoulder straps, and then you have to get everything adjusted right to fit your body profile. Took me a while to get things dialed in. And, what they recommend over the phone isn't necessarily going to be the final answer (it wasn't for me). You might need the AL stays tweaked to fit your back profile, or you might need to wear the pack slightly differently (I do).

Basically, if you find a pack that you can get to work well for you, run it...

Also, I would have left all the gratuitous Aron / Brian / Gritty comments out. No reason to keep bringing it up - let it die.

 

[Code_red]

I don't understand what Brian Call has to do with Stone Glacier, he's just a dude out there pimping whatever gear pays his mortgage next month. He'll be on to whatever better deal comes along as soon as it comes along.

The team at Stone Glacier, right from the top down, are all top notch folks.

Couldn’t agree more. I called and talked to them the other day and it was impressive how willing they were to talk with me through things. Kifaru is the same way. I have nothing but great things to say about them as well.


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[TXCO]

Both companies are great with awesome people and service. You're not going to have bad experience with either. The packs for both are made in America. You need to figure out what preferences are important to you in order of priority after fit. Each has a different style of pack design, accessories, etc . SG now has several dealers around the US so you should be able to try one on to compare to your Kifaru. I think the newer Kifaru packs are closer in style to SG and would be worth comparing as opposed to some of the originals like Timberline.

As far as durability on SG, I can say Ive run one from Alaska & the Yukon to all over the lower 48 for 6 years in all conditions without a single defect or issue. I've never heard anyone complain about durability on them before. Kifaru does have the reputation as being the beefiest/most durable but Ive never tested to and hit a point of failure on either brand. Im pretty sure I would be broken before either pack does.

 

[spike camp]

You lost me, at ran.

 

[*zap*]

Simple, order both and keep the one that fits/suits you the best. Both are top notch companies as are the other high end backpack companies.

 

[qwerksc]

yawn...

 

[BugleMeTimber]

I've ran the SG Sky Talus 6900 for about 4 years now. I'm 5'9" 180 lbs. and it fits me well. The pack has held up after the abuse I've put it through and seems to handle heavy loads well. The straps, buckles, material and pads all look new. Lots of extras to choose from and you can customize the pack to make it fit your style of hunting. Never owned a Kifaru but haven't heard bad things about them either from others I know that use them. I'll personally be sticking with SG as I like how they have treated me and the performance of their products have won me over.